“Thachmo Portflolio” – Here’s an Emancipator-produced mashup of my recordings on violin, viola, Fender Mandocaster and acoustic mandolin, mostly plugged into effects pedals and Fender Twin Custom 64-15 amp, occasionally acoustic. Thanks to Emancipator for mashing this up. Gratitude to … Continue reading Thachmo Portflolio
Formerly illegal camping is now tolerated by the city if it involves no more than six people and tents are removed by 7 a.m. This photo was taken under the I-405 freewayat 9:15 a.m., March 2. Wesley Mahan photo By … Continue reading City rolls out plan to stabilize homeless
Eight rail cars holding liquid asphalt sustained heavy fire damage but did not rupture. Had they been carrying oil, the director of Portland Emergency Management, said, “It would have been a different story.” Photo by Thacher Schmid By Thacher Schmid … Continue reading Ominous message in truck-train fire
Metro plan calls for 500 acres for recreation, including mountain bike trails By Thacher Schmid Though dotted with logging roads and other reminders of people, the second growth Douglas fir forests, creeks and meadows in the North Tualatin Mountains are … Continue reading Tualatin Mountains wildlife may soon have company
For a half-century, the Linnton Plywood Association mill was a model of worker ownership and democratic control of the workplace. Everyone, from the general manager to the guy who ran the Raimann patcher machine—what one former worker called “a … Continue reading Falling Apart
Emancipator’s “Seven Seas” hit #2 on the iTunes electronic music chart upon its release in late September 2015. I play on four of the twelve songs on the album: 1993 (violin); Vision Quest (mandocaster); Delta Trance (violin, mandocaster, viola); and … Continue reading Emancipator’s “Seven Seas” hits #2 iTunes electronic
The first time she toured through Portland, Lizzy Plapinger saw a “Japanese work-of-art jacket” at a local vintage shop — but passed it up. The lead vocalist for MS MR, a duo known for its lovely secondhand threads, went back … Continue reading MS MR brings macabre, ‘jewel-tone’ pop to Crystal
Tank farms Northwest of the St. Johns Bridge are above the Portland Hills Fault, a key reason Linnton would be hard hit by a major earthquake. Photo by Wesley Mahan ‘Perfect storm’ of hazards make Linnton the worst place to … Continue reading Earthquake Central
This story includes photos I took published by the Oregonian / Oregonlive.com. Clad in a white jumpsuit and red hightops, a gold armband and turquoise nerd glasses, Esperanza Spalding returned to her native Portland Tuesday with a challenging new show. … Continue reading Esperanza Spalding’s Emily’s D+Evolution delivers brash, ferocious show at the Crystal
Two remote-controlled mechanical spiders, carefully hidden in the shadows of a tour bus. Frequent Nerf gun wars. One well-loved fedora. Many pairs of sunglasses. A planned trip to Lardo. And a quintet playing bluesy, sensitive-but-fearless rock and roll, anchored by … Continue reading James Bay Can’t Wait to Eat at Lardo; UK Hitmaker Plays Portland August 5
Knowledge may be power, but it’s hardly a sure path to creativity. In music, the more one tries to analyze something, the more it may slip through one’s fingers like a tough chord progression or elusive bebop riff. Instead of trying … Continue reading Esperanza Spalding Finds New Creative Outlet With Emily’s D+ Evolution
In Summer of 2015 Emancipator released a remix album of Dusk to Dawn. My strings parts are woven into the Tor remix of “The Way,” which I like a lot, and the Frameworks remix of the title track “Dusk to … Continue reading Dusk to Dawn Remixes: Emancipator
This article appeared in the July 2015 issue of the NW Examiner. If the Linnton neighborhood is to get its “village,” its “complete community,” as envisioned by its leaders for decades, it will need some help from City Hall. The … Continue reading Linnton’s Stubborn Dream
This piece appeared in the July 2015 issue of the NW Examiner: Corps of Engineers says dredging sediment is ‘suitable for in-water placement’ By Thacher Schmid The Army Corps of Engineers sent public notice to a small group of Sauvie … Continue reading Sauvie Islanders Fight Toxic Dumping
He is the hip-hop golden boy of the moment, surfing the frothy waves of social and mainstream media. He shares selfies of first daughter Malia Obama wearing his Pro Era collective’s T-shirt. He leads anti-police-brutality marches in New York. He gets … Continue reading Joey Bada$$ about to earn his hip-hop Ph.D.
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